Category Archives: Leisure

Puzzling the Pieces

Like many puzzle aficionados, Beamer Baclawski spent January 29, National Puzzle Day, working on a jigsaw puzzle. “Why would anyone cut up a perfectly good picture only to reassemble it?” he asked, though he didn’t pause his nifty paws work to puzzle an answer. Anyone familiar with jigsaws would recognize the enigma of the puzzle—itContinue reading “Puzzling the Pieces”

A New View of Old Birds

While engaged in her favorite pastime of backyard birdwatching, Miss Kitty found herself distracted by a copy of Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird that I had left for Tania and Nancy, Kitty’s humans. Naturally assuming it was a field guide to her fine-feathered friends, Kitty pawed through the pages. Finding neither pictures nor plates, however,Continue reading “A New View of Old Birds”

Crack, Bam, Dot—Creating Chaos Out of Colorful Order

When a neighbor recently invited me to play mah jongg, I balked. Having played once, more than a decade ago with my friend Claire, I didn’t want to appear foolish. So, I sought out Mr. Beamer Baclawski. He’s a fanatic, doesn’t suffer fools quietly, and did teach me to play Rummikub. I started with theContinue reading “Crack, Bam, Dot—Creating Chaos Out of Colorful Order”

Scrubbing for Wildlife

Mickey Blanchett takes after housemate Rick when it comes to observing birds. On a recent bus trip organized by the Calusa Nature Center to the Archbold Biological Station in Venus, Florida, Rick spotted horned owls, swallow-tailed kites, and caracara when everyone else saw cows. His wife, Nancy, is accustomed to people gathering around Rick whenContinue reading “Scrubbing for Wildlife”

Purr-fectly Understandable

John Caskey, an avid reader of this blog, shared with us the article, “Your Cats Can Tell When You’re Speaking to Them,” which appeared in the January 2023 issue of Scientific American. The author, Tanya Lewis, reported on a study published in Animal Cognition that found cats, like dogs, can discriminate speech addressed to themContinue reading “Purr-fectly Understandable”

What Other Cool Cats Are Perusing

When I shared with you last month that Nina had died, I was touched with many expressions of sympathy. Thank you. One subscriber, Sherry, shared the news with her cat, Louie. She said he “let out a long meow and we communicated about how your cat family was now together in the one-cat soul. Further,Continue reading “What Other Cool Cats Are Perusing”